After politics and religion, few issues are as contentious as standardized tests. Opinions run the gamut. To some, standardized testing overwhelmsour schools and helps eradicate differences between students. For others, they remain the best way to compare students objectively and hold schools accountable.
Whatever your thoughts, there's no denying that students are taking lots of tests. Two years ago, U.S. students were taking about eight tests a year.
Predictably, a big business has sprung up around testing. Among those who have turned it into a livelihood are tutors, publishers like Pearson and Scholastic and printers. Then there are the psychometricians—the math savants who design tests and create complex algorithms that attempt to make them fair to all students. Or in other words, “How do we compare students who take different tests as if they had all taken the same test?” asks Mark Moulton.
Read Full Article »